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THESOUTHWESTERN HISTORICALQUARTERLYVOL. XXV OCTOBER, 1921 No. 2The publication committee and the editors disclaim responsibility for views expressed bycontributors to THE QUARTERLYCONDITIONS IN TEXAS AFFECTING THE COLONIZA-TION PROBLEM, 1795-18011MATTIE AUSTIN HATCHERBetween 1763, when France made over to Spain her claim toLouisiana, and 1803, when, over the protest of the custodian, Na-poleon sold it to the United States, the American frontiersmen, intheir irresistible march to the westward, had pushed their advancelines to the Mississippi river.This had come about, in spite of the exclusive policy of Spainand in the face of the warnings of the local Spanish officials ofLouisiana, through the liberal policy of Carlos III and the eager-ness of his minister to the United States to erect in the region abuffer against the further advance of Spain's potential enemies,the Americans. In pursuance of this policy, a great number offoreigners had been admitted-Englishmen, Irishmen, Frenchmen,Dutchmen, and even Americans who were, for the most part, mis-takenly believed to be displeased with the government of the UnitedStates or at least somewhat indifferent to the claims of citizen-ship. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Americansettlers had demonstrated their ability to wrest the country fromthe Indians, to clear the forests, and to cultivate the new-madefields. The buffer desired by the Spaniards had become, in thehands of the enemy, a dangerous opening wedge. AdditionalAmericans were pushing closely behind and the pioneers were1For "The Louisiana Background of the Colonization of Texas" see TTEQUARTERLY for July, 1921.